An intense looking Soviet dedication to The War.
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Vladivostok is a very beautiful city. At night, it has a very European flavor.
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Later, I stroll down this exquisite pedestrian lane... where the youth of Vladivostok assemble for some late night drinking on the street.
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This musician plays some very sorrowful songs on his accordian.
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The next day, I wander to the Submarine Museum. While there, I meet a Swiss-German couple. They are both journalists in Moscow and on a holiday across the country.
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This submarine made WWII history by surviving a German attack in fatal marine depths with a mere 6% oxygen available to the cabin.
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After the Germans dropped their bombs and the Soviet submarine didn't emerge for air, they thought the job was finished.
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The Russians turned around after 6 hours and subsequently destroyed the entire fleet.
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The S-56 Submarine is now on display as a memorial to the old days of Soviet triumph.
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The wonderfully trashy beach of Vladivostok feels just like Coney Island. It's starting to feel like home!
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How cool is it that a mermaid is built into the bay?
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The fashion disasters barrel past en masse at the beach.
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The Vladivostok Fortress overlooks the bay and was built to defend against Japanese invasion.
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The military hardware is still here! But it is now a museum.
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A crazy missile launcher!
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A Russian tourist gets with the program!
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To escape the forthcoming rain, we duck into the nearby aquarium.
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A tourist like me could never actually go into the display to pose for a picture! But more power to this family.
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Bizarrely, the shop has for sale a Joseph Stalin t-shirt. The tastelessness of actually purchasing the shirt prevents me from doing it (as much as I want it). The Far East remains very conservative... in the Sakhalin Islands, Stalin still has a 60% approval rating! (Nevermind, he murdered 27 million people...)
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Wandering through the aquarium reveals some splendid fish...
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...and this furry crab native to the region!
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I'm thankful for this glass protecting me from these viscious sharks.
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Despite the rain, I hop on the ferry to Russky Islands and hope for a few hours on the beach.
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But the rain only gets worse.
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Shipping cranes line the bay as we sail away.
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The rain poops on everyone's beach parade.
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As the boat approaches Russky Island, all the people are just waiting to escape the rain.
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And these two trucks don't make it. (I know how it feels!)
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Of course, as soon as the ferry turns around, the rain clears and the sun comes out. But the ride is still beautiful and fun.
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I even meet this group of locals, who are excited to meet an American. Irina, the girl in the red hat, is a translator and speaks English! I hang out with these guys for my last night in Vladivostok.
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The Vladivostok airport is where my trip ends. There are loads of Asians en route home too.
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Something I never would have noticed until a Russian pointed this out to me... Russians only sit or stand while waiting.
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Russian pride prevents them from sitting on the floor. Only "slobby tourists" do that.
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I have learned a lot about Russia and had some great (and not so great) experiences... but I am ready to go home! I choose to stand as I wait for my plane.
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